| Anarcho-punk | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Anarchist punk |
| Stylistic origins | Punk rock |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s, United Kingdom |
| Subgenres | |
| Peace punk[1] | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Other topics | |
Anarcho-punk (also known asanarchist punk[2]) is an ideological subgenre ofpunk rock that promotesanarchism. The term has been broadly applied to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure incrust punk,hardcore punk,folk punk, and other styles.
During the 1960s to early 1970s, some artists who were later retroactively described as "proto-punk" became influenced byNew Left oranarchist ideology, which includedDavid Peel who was associated with theYippie movement,[3] alongside bands such as theMC5,[4]the Fugs, theEdgar Broughton Band,Mick Farren'sthe Deviants,[5][6]Pink Fairies[7] andHawkwind.[8] These bands set a precedent for mixing radical politics with rock music and established the idea of rock as an agent of social and political change in the public consciousness. Other influences include avant-garde art and political movements such asFluxus,Dada, theBeat generation,Youth International Party, England'sangry young men (such asJoe Orton), thesurrealism-inspiredSituationist International, the1967 March on the Pentagon, theMay 1968 uprising in Paris, and theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
A surge of popular interest inanarchism occurred during the 1970s in theUnited Kingdom following the birth ofpunk rock, in particular theSituationist-influencedSex Pistols managerMalcolm McLaren and graphics artistJamie Reid, as well as that band's first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.".[9]Crass and thePoison Girls funded the rentedWapping Autonomy Centre with a benefit single and this then inspired other squattedself-managed social centres in London such as theAmbulance Station on Old Kent Road,Centro Iberico, Molly's Café on Upper Street and the Bingo Hall oppositeHighbury & Islington station (now theGarage).[10] The concept (and aesthetics) of anarcho-punk was quickly picked up on by bands likeFlux of Pink Indians,Subhumans andConflict.[11]Jello Biafra of theDead Kennedys has cited theYippies as an influence on his activism and thinking.[12][13]
By the early 1980s, an anarcho-punk scene emerged inLeeds spearheaded by groups such asAbrasive Wheels,the Expelled andIcon A.D.[14][15][16] From this scene cameChumbawamba, whose emphasis on confrontational political activism soon overtook their connection to the scene. Despite their anti-corporate views, the group signed toEMI, leading to their 1997 single "Tubthumping" reaching number 2 on theUK Singles Chart.[17]
Pioneeringcrust punk bandsAntisect,Anti System,Sacrilege andAmebix all began in the anarcho-punk scene, before incorporating their anarchist lyrical themes with elements of earlyheavy metal.[18] Early Britishgrindcore bands likeCarcass,Napalm Death andExtreme Noise Terror were primarily a part of the 1980s anarcho-punk scene, however began embracing elements ofextreme metal and Americanthrashcore.[19]
Anarcho-punk spread to the United States in the late 1970s with groups like Austin'sMDC and San Francisco'sDead Kennedys. Los Angeles'Black Flag also embraced anarchists politics between 1982 and 1986, whenHenry Rollins was their vocalist.[1] United States anarcho-punk generally supported revolutions in Latin America and anti-Apartheid movements and criticised thePresidency of Ronald Reagan.[20]
In the 1980s, New York City cultivated a thriving anarcho-punk scene. Beginning as a part of the largerNew York hardcore scene, bands likeReagan Youth,False Prophets andHeart Attack[21] made use of a similar musical style and mentality to their British counterparts.[22] This scene split from New York hardcore as the decade progressed.[21]Nausea were a key figure in the scene during this period, helping to cultivate a new scene in the city based around politics and squatting.[23]
In the 2000s, American anarcho-punk groups likeAnti-Flag andAgainst Me gained significant mainstream success for the genre.[1][24]
Anarcho-punk bands often disassociated themselves from established anarchist currents likecollectivist anarchism,anarcho-syndicalism oranarcho-communism. Because of this, as well as their emphasis onpacifism, the scene was generally independent of the wider anarchist movement at the time. Bands generally supportedanimal rights,anti-corporatism,labour rights and theanti-war movement.[25] Some of the tensions with more established political campaign groups were seen in the co-optation by Crass of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the band's mostly unsuccessful attempts to work with CND.[26]
Anarcho-punks have criticised the flaws of thepunk movement and the wider youth culture. Bands likeCrass andDead Kennedys have written songs that attack corporate co-option of the punk subculture, people who are deemed to havesold out, and the violence between punks,skinheads,B-boys, other youth subcultures,[11][27] and within punk itself. Some anarcho-punks arestraight edge, claiming thatalcohol,tobacco, drugs and promiscuity are instruments of oppression and are self-destructive because they cloud the mind and wear down a person's resistance to other types of oppression. Some also condemn the waste of land, water and resources necessary to grow crops to make alcohol, tobacco and drugs, forfeiting the potential to grow and manufacture food. Some may be straight edge for religious reasons, such as in the case ofChristian,Muslim, andBuddhist anarcho-punks (seeAnarchism and religion for more background).
Although Crass initially espousedpacifism, this is not necessarily the case for all anarcho-punks. Despite the broader punk subculture's antagonism towards hippies, the ideals of the hippie counterculture were an influence on anarcho-punk. Crass were explicit regarding their associations with the hippie counterculture,[11][27] and this influence has also carried over to crust punk.
Anarcho-punks universally believe indirect action, although the way in which this manifests itself varies greatly. Despite their differences in strategy, anarcho-punks often co-operate with each other. Many anarcho-punks arepacifists (e.g. Crass andDischarge) and therefore believe in using non-violent means of achieving their aims. These includenonviolent resistance,refusal of work,squatting, economicsabotage,dumpster diving,graffiti,culture jamming,ecotage,freeganism,boycotting,civil disobedience,hacktivism andsubvertising. Some anarcho-punks believe that violence or property damage is an acceptable way of achieving social change (e.g.Conflict). This manifests itself asrioting,vandalism, wire cutting,hunt sabotage, participation inAnimal Liberation Front,Earth Liberation Front, or evenBlack Bloc style activities, and in extreme cases, bombings. Many anarchists dispute the applicability of the term "violence" to describe destruction of property, since they argue that destruction of property is done not to control an individual or institution but to take its control away.[28][29]
Many anarcho-punk bands subscribe to a "do-it-yourself" (DIY) ethic. A popular anarcho-punk slogan is "DIY not EMI," a conscious rejection of a major record company.[30] Many anarcho-punk bands were showcased on theBullshit Detector series of LPs released byCrass Records and Resistance Productions between 1980 and 1994. Some anarcho-punk performers were part of thecassette culture. This allowed artists to bypass the traditional recording and distribution routes, with recordings often being made available in exchange for a blank tape and a self-addressed envelope. The anarcho-punk movement has its own network offanzines,punk zines, and self-published books[31] which disseminate news, ideas and artwork from the scene. These are DIY productions, tending to be produced in runs of hundreds at most. The 'zines are printed onphotocopiers or duplicator machines, and distributed by hand at punk concerts, in radical bookstores and infoshops, and through the mail.
Anarcho-punk bands are often less focused on particular musical delivery and more focused on a totalised aesthetic that encompasses the entire creative process, from album and concert art, to political message, and to the lifestyles of the band members.[32] Crass listed as band members the people who did their album art and live visuals. The message is considered to be more important than the music.[11][32] According to the punk aesthetic, one can express oneself and produce moving and serious works with limited means and technical ability.[32][33] It is not uncommon for anarcho-punk songs to lack the usual rock structure of verses and a chorus, however, there are exceptions to this. For example, laterChumbawamba songs were at the same time anarcho-punk and pop-oriented.[34]
Bands such as Crass, Conflict,Nausea and Chumbawamba make use of both male and female vocalists.[35][36][17][37]
Not all anarcho-aesthetics were reductive or simplistic though. George McKay had written of the idea of 'Crassonics', thesounds that the band Crass used or made in the recording studio to represent the nuclear sublime. These 'incorporated sounds of destruction, alienation, and accusation, in a righteous and relentless assault on the new nuclear norm.... [L]istenability and expressibility seemed polar opposites: to express nuclear horror in music ... one had to interrogate the limits of what one would be willing to listen to.'[38]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Steve Wishnia: At some point there was a split between what would be considered the peace punks - us, Reagan Youth, Heart Attack, No Thanks, A.P.P.L.E - and the skinhead bands like Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Todd Youth: The whole peace-punk political thing didn't have anything to do with our world. They were all trying to be British peace-punk bands and do the Crass-type thing.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Nausea was definitely a catalyst in 1985 for forging an alternative to the CBGB hardcore matinees. Their brand of highly politically charged punk had antecedents in NYC with documented groups like False Prophets and Reagan Youth, and the unknown ones like Sacrilege and Counterforce. But Nausea had a connection to the squatter movement that spoke to people who felt disconnected from the NYHC scene of the day.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)...its ideology of personal freedom (musical self-expression ought to be available to anyone, regardless of technical ability), and also that the message tended to be more important than the music.
I think I embrace a bit of the punk aesthetic that one can express oneself with two chords if that's all you know, and likewise one can make a great film with limited means or skills or clothes or furniture. It's just as moving and serious as works that employ great skill and craft sometimes. Granted, when you learn that third chord, or more, you don't have to continue making "simple" things, unless you want to. Sometimes that's a problem.
